London: The standing ovation, despite her fourth-round exit from the most revered among tennis' four Grand Slams, said it all: Alexandra "Alex" Eala has earned global respect and admiration. The girl who dared to dream big and put the Philippines on the world tennis map lost to Italian 13th seed Jasmine Paolini, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, on Centre Court at London's All England Club on Monday. According to Philippines News Agency, Eala exited like a champion, the crowd behind the 21-year-old whom the match commentator described as a player who is 'very easy to like.' The PhilSports Arena in Pasig City hosted a free live screening of Eala's match. Eala was bidding to become the first Filipino to reach a singles Grand Slam quarterfinal since Felicisimo Ampon at the 1953 French Open. She previously defeated Paolini in the round of 32 of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February, 6-1, 7-6(5). However, the 30-year-old Paolini, inspired by her idol, eight-time champion Roger Federer, who was among the guests in the Royal Bo x, secured the victory this time. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. expressed his pride in Eala through a social media post after the two-hour, 22-minute match. He praised her achievements and the inspiration she has become for Filipinos, stating that her remarkable Wimbledon run has shown the world what Filipinos are capable of. Paolini, experiencing her first time on Centre Court since a past finals loss, described the experience as special and expressed gratitude for the opportunity and win. She became the first Italian woman to reach multiple Wimbledon quarterfinals. In the next round, she will face 12th seed Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who advanced earlier with a victory over American Ashlyn Krueger.